Equalizing valve means



P 20,}966 J. w. TAMPLEN EQUALIZING VALVE MEANS Filed Sept. 26. 1963 Fig 2 INVENTOR.

JACK W. TAMPLEN BY United States Patent Ofiiice 3,273,649 Patented Sept. 20, 1966 3,273,549 EQUALIZING VALVE MEANS Jack W. Tamplen, Celina, Tex, assignor to Otis Engineering Corporation, Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Delaware Fiied Sept. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 311,687 8 #Claims. (Cl. 166224) This invention relates to well tools and more particularly to a valve means connectable in a flow conductor to provide for fluid communication between the exterior and the interior of the flow conductor and to a tool for activating the valve.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved valve means having a tubular body having lateral ports communicating between the exterior and the interior of the tubular body and a sleeve valve movable in the tubular body between a closed position preventing communication between the interior and the exterior of the tubular body and an open position permitting fluid flow through the lateral ports of the tubular body.

Another object is to provide a new and improved valve means wherein the valve and tubular body have coengageable means releasably holding the sleeve valves in its closed position and which upon the application of a predetermined force to the sleeve valve are movable out of engagement to permit movement of the sleeve valve to its open position.

Still another object is to provide a shifting tool for moving the sleeve valve between its open and closed position which has means engageable with the sleeve valve for moving the sleeve valve in one longitudinal direction from its closed to its open position and a second means engageable with the holding means of the sleeve valve when the latter are held in their inner retracted positions by their engagement with a holding surface of the tubular body for moving the sleeve valve from its open to its closed position upon longitudinal movement of the shifting tool in the opposite direction.

A further object is to provide a shifting tool for a sleeve valve having a body movable through the sleeve valve, shoulder means for engaging one end of the sleeve valve when the shifting tool is in fully telescoped position in the sleeve valve, an external recess into which are movable the holding means of the sleeve valve and shoulder means engageable with such holding means when the latter are in their inner retracted positions for moving the sleeve valve to its upper closed position.

A still further object is to provide a shifting tool which is movable from the valve means and out of engagement with the holding means of the sleeve valve only when the sleeve valve is in its fully closed position in the tubular body.

Another object is to provide a valve means or pressure equalizing device connectable in a well tool assembly which is positionable in a flow conductor wherein the pressure equalizing device provides for equalization of pressure between the interior and the exterior of the well tool assembly at a predetermined location therein.

Still another object is to provide a pressure equalizing device which has an annular sleeve valve movable in a tubular body which does not substantially restrict the flow passage of the tubular body.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical partly sectional view, with some parts broken away, of a well tool assembly which includes the valve means or pressure equalizing device embodying the invention and showing the shifting tool in the well tool assembly above the pressure equalizing device;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical partly sectional view of the well tool assembly of FIGURE 1 showing the sleeve valve held in its lower open position by the shifting tool; and,

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the well tool or pressure equalizing device 10 embodying the invention is shown connected in a well tool assembly 11 which includes a locking mandrel 12 and a flow control device 13. The locking mandrel has external seal means 14 for sealing between the mandrel and well flow conductor or tubing T in which the well tool assembly is positionable and locking means 15 which are receivable in a suitable internal annular recess 16 of the flow conductor for releasably locking the mandrel against movement in the flow conductor. The locking mandrel has a longitudinal passage 18 therethrough for the passage of well tools and flow of fluid. This locking mandrel may be of any suitable type, as for example of the type disclosed in Patent No, 2,571,478 to H. C. Otis wherein the locking means comprises a plurality of dogs 15a whose hooks 21 are received in a suitable internal recess of 19 of a carrier 20 mounted for limited longitudinal movement on the upper end portion of the locking mandrel. The flow control device may be a plug, a bottom hole choke, a safety valve, a bottom hole regulator or some similar subsurface well tool.

The equalizing device 10 includes a tubular housing or sub 22 whose lower reduced end portion 23 is threaded in the upper end of the flow control device. The upper end portion 24 of the sub is threaded on the reduced lower end portion 25 of the locking mandrel so that the locking mandrel, the sub 22 and the flow control device constitute a tubular flow conductor. The sub 22 has a plurality of lateral ports 26 which open into the internal annular recess 27 of the sub and thus communicate the exterior of the sub with the longitudinal flow passage 27 thereof. The flow passage of the sub has an intermediate enlarged portion 28a which provides an internal collet holding surface 30 and an upper further enlarged portion.

28b immediately above the holding surface which provides an inwardly and downwardly beveled annular upwardly facing stop shoulder 31 and an internal seal surface 32 immediately above the stop shoulder.

A tubular sleeve valve 33 is positioned in the flow passage of the sub for longitudinal movement therein between its top closed position illustrated in FIGURE 1 and its bottom open position illustrated in FIGURE 3.

Upward movement of the sleeve valve is limited by the engagement of its external annular top end surface or shoulder 35 with the downwardly facing annular end surface or shoulder 36 of the locking mandrel and its downward movement therein is limited by the engagement of its downwardly and inwardly beveled annular downwardly facing shoulder 39 with the stop shoulder 31 of the sub.

The sleeve has a pair of longitudinally spaced seal means, such as the 0 rings 40 and 41, disposed in suitable external annular recesses of the sleeve valve. When the sleeve valve is in its top closed position, the O-rings sealingly engage the internal seal surface 32 above and below the lateral ports 26 and close off flow between the interior and the exterior of the sub through the lateral ports.

The valve sleeve has a plurality of dependent circumferentially spaced resilient collet fingers 45 which are provided at their lower ends with external bosses 46.

The collet bosses have outer upwardly and outwardly beveled downwardly facing cam shoulders 48 at their lower ends which engage the stop shoulder 31 of the sub to hold the sleeve valve releasably in its top closed position. The lower ends of the collet fingers also have inner upwardly and inwardly beveled downwardly facing shoulders 50 which are engageable by the correspondingly downwardly and outwardly beveled upwardly facing shoulder 52 of the external annular bottom flange 54 of a shifting tool 55 which is movable through the flow passages of the locking mandrel and the sleeve valve.

The shifting tool has a top external flange 57 which provides a downwardly facing shoulder 53 engageable with the internal annular bevelled top shoulder 59 of the sleeve valve. The shoulders 58 and S2 of the shifting tool define an external annular recess 60 on the shifting tool in which the collet fingers are receivable when they are bent inwardly from their normal inherent outer positions illustrated in FIGURE 1. The shifting tool has a plurality of external longitudinal circumferentially spaced bypass slots 62 which provide for passage of fluid past the shifting tool during its movement through the locking mandrel and the sub. The shifting tool also has a reduced threaded top end portion 63 by means of which the shifting tool is connectable to a well tool '65 which is one of the tools of a string of conventional flexible or Wire line tools which are movable through the flow conductor by means of a flexible line.

In use, when the well tool assembly 11 is positioned in the flow conductor or tubing T with the locking mandrel seal means 14 sealingly engaging the internal surfaces of the flow conductor and its locking means 15 disposed in the lock recess 16 of the flow conductor holding the tool assembly 11 against longitudinal movement in the flow conductor, the flow control device 13 and restricts or prevents flow of fluids therethrough into the sub 22 and the locking mandrel and thence to the flow conductor above the locking mandrel. The pressure within the flow passages 18 and 23 of the locking mandrel and the pressure equalizing device, respectively, and therefore in the flow conductor above the seal means 14, is less than the pressure in the flow conductor exteriorly of the pressure equalizing device below the seal means 14. An upwardly acting pressure differential therefore exists across the flow control device. Such pressure differential could impart a great upward acceleration and velocity to the well tool assembly if the well tool assembly were freed for upward movement in the flow conductor while the pressure differential is acting thereon. It is therefore desirable, and in some instances necessary, that such pressure differential be equalized before any attempt is made to release the locking means of the locking mandrel from looking engagement with the well flow conductor.

When it is desired to remove the well tool assembly from the flow conductor or to move it to another location therein, the pressure between the exterior of the sub and the interior thereof is equalized by lowering the valve operating or shifting tool 55 on a string of wire line tools, which includes the tool 65, into and through the flow conductor into the flow passage 18 of the locking mandrel and through the sleeve valve until the annular downwardly facing shoulder 58 of the shifting tool engages the internal top shoulder 59 of the sleeve valve and the annular shoulder 52 of the bottom flange of the shifting tool is positioned below the bottom internal shoulders 50 of the collet fingers. A downward force or jars are then imparted to the shifting tool through the string of wire line tools in the usual manner to cause the camming engagement between the shoulders 48 of the collet bosses and the stop shoulder 31 of the sub to move the lower ends of the collet fingers inwardly, against the resilient force exerted thereby, out of engagement with the stop shoulder and inwardly into the external annular recess 60 of the shifting tool. As the collet bosses 45 move out of engagement with the stop shoulder 31, the sleeve valve is freed for downward movement in the sub to its lower open position and is moved to such position by a downward force or jars imparted to the shifting tool through the string of wire line tools. As the sleeve valve moves downwardly to a position wherein its top O-ring 41? moves below the lateral ports 26 of the sub, fluid may flow inwardly through the lateral ports into the sub and thus into the flow passage 18 of the mandrel and to the flow conductor above the seal means 14-, thus equalizing the pressure across the sub surface flow control device and, therefore, across the well tool assembly 11. It will be apparent that the shifting tool is not freed for upward movement relative to the sleeve valve until the sleeve valve has been moved to its upper position since the holding surf-ace 28a prevents outward movement of the collet fingers and holds the shoulders in position for engagement'with the upwardly facing shoulder 52 of the bottom flange 54 of the shifting tool. Upon upward movement of the shifting tool, therefore, the engagement of the annular shoulder 52 of the shifting tool with the lower ends of the collet fingers causes the sleeve valve to be moved to its upper closed position wherein the collet finger bosses are above the stop shoulder 31, whereupon the resilient force of the collet fingers moves them outwardly to the position illustrated in FIGURE 1 and out of engagement with the annular shoulder 52 of the shifting tool, which is then freed for removal from the pressure equalizing device 10.

It will be apparent that the cooperative action between the shifting tool, the sleeve valve and the sub 26 ensures that the sleeve valve is always left in its closed position when the shifting tool is removed fro-m the pressure equalizing device.

If desired, the shifting tool 55 may be secured to a pullmg tool, such as the pulling tool disclosed in the patent to H. C. Otis et al., No. 2,508,285 so that as the pulling tool is lowered in the flow conductor, the shifting tool engages the sleeve valve and moves it downwardly to its open position before the pulling tool moves the locking mandrel downwardly to move its expander surface downwardly relative to the locking means. Such pulling tool then engages the carrier of the locking mandrel to move the locking mandrel, pressure equalizing tool and the flow control device to the surface. The well tool assembly may thus be moved in the flow conductor by means of any suitable pulling tool, lowered into the flow conductor by a flexible line, which first moves the locking mandrel downwardly relative to the carrier 20 to move its expander surface '70 below the locking means 15 to free them for movement inwardly toward their retracted positions and out of the locking recess 16, and then moves the locking means and the mandrel upwardly as a unit.

It will also be apparent that, if desired, the sleeve valve may be held in its open position when the well tool assembly is lowered into the well flow conductor by any suitable running tool, such as the Otis Type I running tool illustrated on page 3131 of the Composite Catalog of Oilfield Equipment and Services, 1962-1963 Edition. In such event the shifting tool 55 is connected to the running tool and is telescoped into the pressure equalizing device and moves the sleeve valve 33 to the lower open position before the running tool is telescoped over the external top flange 73 of the locking mandrel and releasably secured thereto, as by a sheer pin. The sleeve valve is thus held in its open position during the lowering of the well tool assembly 11 into the well flow conductor until the downwardly facing shoulder 71a of the slip carrier engages the annular upwardly facing shoulder 72 of the flow conductor above the locking recess 16 thereof and the locking means for dogs 15 are aligned with and move into the locking recess 16. The locking mandrel is then moved upwardly to move its expander surface upwardly relative to the dogs of the locking means 15 to hold them in their fully expanded locking position. The upward jars then imparted to the running tool free the running tool from the locking mandrel so that further upward movement of the running tool also moves the shifting tool 55 upwardly in the stub and thus causes the shifting tool to move the sleeve valve to its top closed position. The outward movement of the resilient collet fingers, when they are moved above the stop shoulder 31 and out of engagement with the holding surface 30, then free the shifting tool for removal with the running tool from the flow conductor. It will be apparent that since the shifting tool is rigidly connected to such running tool, the running tool may not be removed from the flow conductor until the shifting tool has moved the sleeve valve to its fully closed position.

It will be seen that a new and improved equalizing device has been illustrated and described which includes a tubular body or sub 22 having lateral ports intermediate the ends thereof and a sleeve valve 33 movable in the tubular body between one extreme longitudinal closed position wherein it prevents flow through said lateral ports between the exterior and the interior of the body and a second extreme longitudinal position wherein it permits flow through the lateral ports.

It will further be seen that the tubular body has a seal surface through which the lateral ports open to the inerior thereof and which is engageable by the seal means of the sleeve valve when the sleeve valve is in its closed position, and that the tubular body is provided with an internal annular stop shoulder 31 which is engageable by a releasably holding or latch means, such as the collet fingers 45, carried by the sleeve valve to hold releasably the valve in its closed position.

It will further be seen that the tubular body is provided with a holding surface 30 below such stop shoulder 31 and which engages the holding or latch means 45 to hold them in their inner position against the resilient force thereof when the sleeve valve is in its open position.

It will further be seen that the sleeve valve has an annular shoulder 39 which is engageable with the stop shoulder 31 to limit movement of the sleeve valve in a longitudinal direction in the tubular body away from its closed position.

It will further be seen that a new and improved shifting tool has been illustrated and described for shifting the sleeve valve between its open and closed positions, and that the shift-ing tool has an upper downwardly facing shoulder such as the shoulder 58 for engaging the upper shoulder '59 of the valve sleeve to move it from its closed position to its open position. The shifting tool also has an external recess 60 below the shoulder 58 for receiving the collet fingers of the valve sleeve as they are 'cammed inwardly out of engagement with the stop shoulder 31 during movement of the sleeve valve from its closed to its open position, and an upwardly facing shoulder 52 at the lower end of the recess engageable with the collet fingers when the latter are held in their inner retracted position in the external recess by the engagement of the bosses 46 thereon with the holding surface 30 of reduced internal diameter as compared with the seal surface 32 whereby the shifting tool and sleeve valve are operatively interconnected and upward movement imparted to the shifting tool moves the sleeve valve to its closed position.

-It will further be seen that if desired, the lateral ports 26 may be positioned at a lower location of the tubular body and be closed by the sleeve valve when it is in the lower position shown in FIGURE 2 and opened when the sleeve valve is in the upper position shown in FIG- URE 1.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, and changes in the details of the construction illustrated may be made 'by those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A pressure equalizing device including: a tubular body having an internal longitudinally extending seal surface and a lateral port opening from the exterior to the interior of said tubular body intermediate the ends of said seal surface, said body having an internal stop shoulder; a tubular valve engageable with said seal surface for closing said lateral port and movable longitudinally in said tubular body between a closed position and an open position, said valve having holding means engageable with said stop shoulder when in said closed position for releasably holding said valve against movement in one longitudinal direction from said closed position to said open position, said holding means being movable out of engagement with said stop shoulder to retracted position to release said valve for movement in said one direction by a force of predetermined value applied to said valve acting in said one longitudinal direction, said valve having stop means thereon spaced from said holding means and engageable with said stop shoulder when said valve is moved to said open position for limiting movement of said valve in said tubular body in said one longitudinal direction.

2. A pressure equalizing device including: a tubular body having an internal longitudinally extending seal surface and a lateral port opening from the exterior to the interior of said tubular body intermediate the ends of said seal surface, said body having an internal stop shoulder; a tubular valve engageable .with said seal surface for closing lateral port and movable longitudinally in said tubular body bet-ween a closed position and an open position, said valve having hold-ing means engageable with said stop shoulder when in said closed position for releasably holding said valve against movement in one longitudinal direction from said closed position to said open position, said holding means being movable out of engagement with said stop shoulder to retracted position to release said valve for movement in said one direction by a force of predetermined value applied to said valve acting in said one longitudinal direction, said valve having means engageable with said stop shoulder when in said open position for limiting movement of said valve in said tubular body in said one longitudinal direction, said holding means comprising resilient mean-s extending from said valve in said one longitudinal direction and movable inwardly to an inner retracted posit-ion and out of engagement with said stop shoulder.

3. A pressure equalizing device including: a tubular body having an internal longitudinally extending seal surface and a lateral port opening from the exterior to the interior of said tubular body intermediate the ends of said seal surface, said body having an internal stop shoulder; a tubular valve engageable with said seal surface for closing said lateral port and movable longitudinally in said tubular body between a closed position and an open position, said valve having holding means engageable with said stop shoulder when in said closed position for releasably holding said valve against movement in one longitudinal direction from said closed position to said open position, said holding means being movable out of engagement with said step shoulder to retracted position to release said valve for movement in said one direction by a force of predetermined value applied to said valve acting in said one longitudinal direction, said valve having means engageable with said stop shoulder when in said open position for limiting movement of said valve in said tubular body in said one longitudinal direction, said holding means comprising resilient means extending from said valve in said one longitudinal direction and movable in- Wardly to an inner retracted position and out of engagement with said stop shoulder, said tubular body having an internal holding surface extending in said one direction from said stop shoulder and engageable by said resilient means for holding said resilient means in said retracted inner position.

4. The pressure equalizing device of claim 3, and a shifting tool, said shifting tool being telescopable in said valve, said valve and said shifting tool having coengageable stop means for limiting movement of said shifting tool in said one longitudinal direction relative to said valve, said shifting tool having an external recess for receiving said resilient means when the resilient means is held in said retracted inner position by said holding surface of said tubular body, said resilient means and said shifting tool having means coengageable when said resilient means is in said retracted position for limiting longitudinal movement of said shifting tool relative to said valve in a second direction opposite said one direction.

5. A pressure equalizing device including: a tubular body having an internal longitudinally extending seal surface and a lateral port opening from the exterior to the interior of said tubular body intermediate the ends of said seal surface, said body having an internal stop shoulder; a tubular valve engageable with said seal surface for closing said lateral port and movable longitudinally in said tubular body between a closed position and an open position, said valve having holding means engageable with said stop shoulder when in said closed position for releasably holding said valve against movement in one longitudinal direction from said closed position to said open position, said holding means being movable out of engagement with said stop shoulder to retracted position to release said valve for movement in said one direction by a force of predetermined value applied to said valve acting in said one longitudinal direction, said valve having stop means thereon spaced from said holding means and engageable with said stop shoulder when said valve is moved to open position for limiting movement of said valve in said tubular body in said one longitudinal direction; and a shifting tool, said shifting tool being telescopable in said valve, said valve and shifting tool having coengageable stop means for limiting movement of said shifting tool in said one longitudinal direction relative to said valve, said holding means and said shifting tool having means co-engageable when said holding means is in said retracted position for limiting longitudinal movement of said shifting tool relative to said valve in a second direction opposite said one direction.

6. A pressure equalizing device including: a tubular body having an internal stop shoulder and an internal seal surface and an internal holding surface extending in opposite longitudinal directions from said stop shoulder, 'said holding surface being of smaller diameter than said seal surface, said body having a lateral port opening from the exterior to the interior of said body intermediate the ends of said seal surface; a tubular valve longitudinally movable in said tubular body and having seal means engageable with said seal surface for closing said lateral port when in one extreme longitudinal closed position in said body, said lateral port providing fluid communica tion between the exterior and the interior of said tubular body when said valve is in a second extreme longitudinal open position in said body, said tubular valve having a plurality of circumferentially spaced dependent resilient collet fingers, said collet fingers engaging said stop shoulder when said valve is in said one position for releasably holding said valve against movement in one longitudinal direction from said closed position to said open position, said collet fingers being movable out of engagement with said stop shoulder to inner retracted positions to release said valve for movement in said one longitudinal direction by a force of predetermined value applied to said valve acting in said one longitudinal direction, said valve having a shoulder engageable with said stop shoulder when said valve is in said open position for limiting movement of said valve in said tubular body in said one longitudinal direction, said collet fingers having means engageable with said holding surface for holding said collet fingers in said inner retracted positions.

7. The pressure equalizing device of claim 6, and a shifting tool, said shifting tool being telescopable in said valve and having an external recess for receiving said collet fingers when said collet fingers are in said inner retracted positions, said valve and said shifting tool having coengageable stop means for limiting movement of said shifting tool in said one longitudinal direction relative to said valve, said collet fingers and said shifting tool having means coengageable when said collet fingers are in said retracted positions in said external recess for limiting longitudinal movement of said shifting tool relative to said valve in a second direction opposite said one direc tion.

8. An equalizing device including: a tubular body having a longitudinal bore with a lateral port formed in the wall of the body opening into the bore thereof; a tubular valve slidable longitudinally in said body between a position closing said lateral port and a position spaced from said lateral port; a shifting tool movable into said body and said valve; and means on said shifting tool and on said valve coengageable to interconnect said shifting tool and said valve for movement of said valve longitudinally of said body from one of said positions to the other and means for maintaining said co-engageable means on said valve and said shifting tool engaged until said valve is returned from said other position to said one position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,071,193 1/1963 Raulins 166-226 3,073,392 1/1963 Dinning et a1. 166224 3,094,307 6/1963 Alley l66224 X 3,112,796 12/1963 Myers 166120 3,151,681 10/1964 Cochran 166-224 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

D. H. BROWN, Assistant Examiner. 

8. AN EQUALIZING DEVICE INCLUDING: A TUBULAR BODY HAVING A LONGITUDINAL BORE WITH A LATERAL PORT FORMED IN THE WALL OF THE BODY OPENING INTO THE BORE THEREOF; A TUBULAR VALVE SLIDABLE LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID BODY BETWEEN A POSITION CLOSING SAID LATERAL PORT AND A POSITION SPACED FROM SAID LATERAL PORT; A SHIFTING TOOL MOVABLE INTO SAID BODY AND SAID VALVE; AND MEANS ON SAID SHIFTING TOOL AND ON SAID VALVE COENGAGEABLE TO INTERCONNECT SAID SHIFTING TOOL AND SAID VALVE FOR MOVEMENT OF SAID VALVE LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BODY FROM ONE OF SAID POSITIONS TO THE OTHER AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID CO-ENGAGEABLE MEANS ON SAID VALVE AND SAID SHIFTING TOOL ENGAGED UNTIL SAID VALVE IS RETURNED FROM SAID OTHER POSITION TO SAID ONE POSITION. 